Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
Minutes of Meeting No. 122
September 25 & 26, 2007
Mr. David Harrison called the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. at the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton, Washington. The following Board members and officers were present:
David Harrison, Board Chair
Charlie Earl, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC)
Mike Hudson, Representing Business
Troy Hutson, Representing Business
Brian Jeffries for Terry Bergeson, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Karen Lee, Employment Security Department (ESD)
Janet Lewis, Representing Labor
Lori Province, Representing Labor
Lynnae Ruttledge for Robin Arnold-Williams, Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
Kris Stadelman, Representing Local Government
Beth Thew, Representing Labor
Eleni Papadakis, Executive Director
Welcome and Chair’s Report
Mr. Harrison welcomed members of the Board to the Norm Dicks Government Center. Mr. Harrison thanked Mr.Steve Frazier, Olympic Workforce Development Council; Ms. Susan Longstreth, Bremerton School District; Mr.Peter Denis, Harrison Medical Center; Ms. Julie Tappero, West Sound WorkSource; and Ms. Andrea Archer, Olympic Area WorkSource for joining us for dinner last night. Mr. Harrison provided an update on the first meeting of the P-20 council. The P-20 council is intended to advance the work of Washington Learns. Mr.Harrison spoke of the King County Collaborative work that he and Mr.Charlie Earl were involved in. There is a vacancy on the Workforce Board and Mr. Mike Hudson and he have been in contact with the Governor’s office to get that space filled. Mr. Harrison also mentioned that the Chairs/Executive Directors of the Workforce Board, State Board, and the Higher Education Coordinating Board will be holding quarterly meetings.
Executive Director’s Report
Ms. Eleni Papadakis shared with the Board the differences between the internal agency Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP) slides and the Workforce Board’s Economic Vitality GMAP slides that were presented to the Governor at the session on September 12, 2007. She stressed the need to probe deeper on wages. Ms. Papadakis mentioned the cluster and sector work occurring at the state and regional levels. A significant area of discussion is an evaluation framework for sector initiatives. Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are four states expressing an interest in going forward with this framework. Effort is being made to find funding. She indicated that the four key elements of the evaluation framework in the next round of Skill Panels are the impact on workers, the impact on businesses, the effectiveness of the partnerships themselves, and the sustainability of system change. Ms. Papadakis shared with the Board the results of the Marketing Director search, asking the Board members for involvement in the interview process. Mr. Hudson and Ms. Lynnae Ruttledge offered assistance. Mr. Hudson provided an update on the Association of Washington Business policy summit, citing the Governor’s participation where she stated that one of her three greatest accomplishments of her administration so far was the revamping of the workforce development system. Ms. Karen Lee shared the National Association of State Workforce Agencies conference highlights. She shared that holding up of Workforce Investment Act reauthorization is due to a disagreement on merit staff issues. She also shared Department of Labor’s Mason Bishop’s concerns that there are too many Workforce Development Areas requiring too much administration.
Motion 07-122-01
Mr. Hudson moved to adopt the June 28, 2007, minutes. Ms. Thew seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Motion 07-122-02
Ms. Thew moved to adopt the 2008 Board schedule. Ms. Janet Lewis seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Washington Workforce Compact
Mr. Bryan Wilson presented the materials for tab 2. Mr. Wilson explained to the Board that the initial Preamble has been changed based on the discussion from the August Retreat. The Preamble now ends with a vision statement that is directly from High Skills, High Wages. Mr. Wilson proposed to the Board, that at the January meeting, they will look at barriers and decide which barriers to address first. Ms. Thew asked for clarification on the Compact, in terms of being a long term Compact or a short term Compact. Ms. Kris Stadelman commented that, she supports the section on barrier removal. Mr. Harrison suggested using the conference in November to highlight the Compact. Mr. Earl gave compliments to the Board for the Compact.
Motion 07-122-03
Mr. Earl moved to adopt the motion for the Washington Workforce Compact. Mr. Hudson seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Carl D. Perkins State Plan
Mr. Walt Wong and Ms. Terri Colbert presented the material for tab 3. Ms. Colbert led a panel of invited guests in the discussion of the Carl D. Perkins Plan. In January 2007 the Board approved the Perkins Work Plan, which outlined the timelines for development of the state’s One-Year Transition Plan, as well as the activities leading up to adoption of the Perkins Five-Year Plan. In March 2007, the Board approved the Perkins One-Year Transition Plan. Ms. Colbert explained that the Board will discuss nine items involving policies related to the Perkins program. These policies will be adopted at the November meeting and be included in Washington’s Five-Year Perkins Plan draft. In January, the draft will be presented in public forums and the resulting feedback will be a basis for possible revisions. The Board will be asked to adopt the final version of the Five-Year Perkins Plan prior to submission to the U.S. Department of Education, in April 2008. The nine discussion items were: Programs of Study, Ten percent reserve of Basic Grant dollars, Wavier Permission, One-percent State Leadership funds to serve individuals in state institutions, Nontraditional Training and Employment, Professional Development, Tech Prep, Performance Measures, and the Perkins Secondary/Postsecondary Funding Split. Mr.Harrison summarized the issues with Programs of Study. Mr. Jeffries voiced concern that Programs of Study should not track students into rigid sequences of courses that can not be changed. Mr. Crabbe expressed concern over the proposed state legislation and the proposal that all Perkins Basic Grant dollars be expended on Programs of Study by the fifth year of the plan. Ms. Colbert indicated that she would work with the secondary and post secondary stakeholders and the IC committee to modify the language based on the discussion and bring the language back to the Board for approval in November.
Skills for the Next Washington: Framework for Coordinating Workforce and Economic Development
Mr. Wilson presented the material for tab 4. In her response to Washington Works, Governor Gregoire asked that the Board, “Work with the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) and with the Economic Development Commission to develop a plan to support coordination at the state and regional levels, with a special emphasis on key economic clusters.” The next step will be to refine the paper in preparation for the November Conference and the regional academies, where there will be opportunities for more discussion and additional refinement of the paper. The goal is to have a complete framework finished by Spring, 2008. The finished paper and the process leading up to it will enable us to move forward with a legislative and budget request for 2009, if the finished paper demonstrates the need for either statutory changes or additional funding. Mr. Hutson asked how emerging technologies and industry fit into the framework. Ms. Stadelman applauded the efforts of the work in the paper.
Workforce Board 2008 Policy and Budget Request
Mr. Wong and Ms. Madeleine Thompson presented the materials for tab 5. The Workforce Board is required to formally submit any agency bill or budget request to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) for approval. The proposed agency request bill on common definitions for “high demand” and related terms was developed with a work group including staff from the Workforce Board; Community, Trade and Economic Development; Department of Labor and Industries; Department of Social and Health Services; State Board for Community & Technical Colleges; Employment Security Department; Higher Education Coordinating Board; and the Council of Presidents. There was considerable discussion around the inclusion of RCW Title 50 (the statute on unemployment insurance) in the agency bill. There was also discussion of the proposed agency budget request for additional research and the Governor’s directive that agencies limit budget requests. Mr. Harrison asked Board members to delegate to him the authority to act on behalf of the Board in working with the staff to move forward with the request with additional rationale and justification, including the identification of cost savings.
Motion 07-122-04
Mr. Earl moved to approve the submittal of the proposed legislation that codifies common definition for terms related to “high demand,” by amending statutes to create consistency in the meaning of terms without changing policy, after removing the section pertaining to the training benefits program under the Department of Employment Security (RCW Title 50)”. Ms. Janet Lewis seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Motion 07-122-05
Ms. Lee moved to approve the submittal of a funding request for $234,000 in General Fund State dollars. Ms.Lewis seconded the motion. The motion passed. Ms. Lee and Ms. Province abstained.
Workforce Investment Act Title I Local Operation Plans
Mr. Martin McCallum and Ms. Holly Watson presented the material in tab 6. Mr. McCallum will draft an approval letter for the Governor’s signature.
Motion 07-122-06
Ms. Lee moved to adopt the motion to have the Workforce Board recommend Governor Gregoire approve the following 2007-2009 WIA Title I-B and Wagner-Peyser Operations Plan. Ms. Province seconded. The motion passed.
The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
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